10 Uses for Salt You May Have Never Thought About

Salt is one of the most amazing substances in nature. It can be used for many purposes including food preservation, cleaning, cooking, and much more!

Part of being prepared is knowing how to use the supplies that you have – and that includes salt! Below, I have listed 10 things that you probably didn’t know that you could do with salt and hopefully these will inspire you to stock up on salt and incorporate its many uses into your daily life for simple / non-toxic solutions.

Clean up a dropped egg
If you accidentally drop an egg on the floor, sprinkle some salt on the mess and wait 20 minutes. After you wait, the salt will absorb up all the liquids and will be a lot easier to wipe up.

Soothe a bee or poison ivy sting
Wet the sting right away and then cover it with salt. The salt will also kill poison ivy around your home. Simply add three pounds of salt to a gallon of soapy water. Spray it on the leaves and stems of the poison ivy.

Test for rotten eggs
Add two teaspoons of salt into a cup of water. A fresh egg will sink while a rotten egg will float.

Clean your clothes iron
Sprinkle some salt on a sheet of wax paper. Slide the iron across the paper and then rub with silver polish. This method will only work with non-stick irons.

Kill the grass growing in patio cracks
Have a bunch of grass growing up through the cracks in your cement or patio stones? Just sprinkle salt on the cracks and wait a few days and pour some hot water over them. Salt can also be added to a vinegar and soap solutions for an effective hand sprayer weed killer. (Make sure the salt dissolves)

Keep your windows frost-free
Dip a sponge in salt water and rub it on your windows. For car windshields, instead of using a sponge, use a little bag made of cheesecloth.

Clean a cutting board
Cover the cutting board with bleach and salt. Scrub the board with a stiff brush and rinse with hot water. Repeat if needed.

Clean fake flowers
Put the fake flowers in a bag with salt. Shake the bag for a few minutes. The salt will absorb the dirt and grime.

Remove watermarks from wood
I hate it when you get those pesky water marks on your table left from glasses or bottles. Make them disappear by mixing 1 teaspoon salt with a few drops of water to form a paste. Gently rub the paste onto the ring mark with a soft cloth or sponge. Then restore the luster of the wood with furniture polish.

Remove baked on messes
Can’t get that food to come out of your favorite pan or cooking dish? Simply sprinkle salt on the baked-on food then dampen the area with water. Let the area sit until the salt lifts the food off the dish.

So as you can see, salt can be used for a variety of non-typical applications. Comment below and share your other unique uses for salt and why you keep it as part of your preps.

~ Brandon Garrett

Brandon Garrett is a preparedness consultant and team member of The Ready Store. He writes informative articles and information for the ReadyBlog, the Ready Store's blog and educational section pertaining to topics of the economy, resiliency, and preparedness issues.

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